The Menzingers – Everything I Ever Saw
Release Date: 17th July 2026
Label: Epitaph
There are many things to grumble about when it comes to aging. Wrinkles that were never there before, a spattering of grey hairs and fresh aches and pains that seem to come out of nowhere.
But there’s also lots to love about growing older. You become wiser, stronger and more confident. You form relationships, collect memories and, as the years tick by, you hopefully become a better version of yourself.
That’s where The Menzingers are right now, both musically and personally, and their eighth studio album, Everything I Ever Saw, is a stark reflection of that.
For the past 20 years, the band has been flying high, racking up solid album releases, international tours and huge festival appearances.
However, behind the scenes, the past few years have seen big changes for the Philadelphia quartet. Singer and guitarist Greg Barnett got married and welcomed his first child into the world, while his co-frontman, Tom May, navigated the tricky waters of divorce.
This seesaw of life experiences has led to what is perhaps the band’s most mature, honest and emotional record.
The album opens with ‘Chance Encounters’, an optimistic track buzzing with endless possibility. It’s all about those unexpected twists of fate which set you on a path you could never have imagined, and fills the listener with a sense of hopefulness.
The positivity continues, with ‘Better Angels’, a pop-punk number that feels light and airy but, underneath, sends an empowering message about coming together in the midst of a divisive political climate. Then there’s the sweet, sentimental ‘When She Enters My Dreams’, which would melt the hearts of even the coldest cynics.
However, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine. For all their upbeat energy, The Menzingers still know how to delve into the depths of raw emotion, hitting the listener with wave after wave of poetic, honest storytelling.
The album was written against a backdrop of divorce and heartache, and it’s impossible to ignore that. ‘Romanticism’ shows someone coming to the end of a relationship and pouring over old memories, from nights in hotel rooms to cab rides through the city. It’s the classic post-mortem, with a healthy dose of rose-tinted glasses, that we all carry out when we realise romance has run its course.
‘The Fool’ depicts what often comes after; an introspective look at oneself and a reluctant admittance of our flaws. It’s all part of the process to accept that we haven’t always been the best versions of ourselves – we’ve all been The Fool before.
But there’s a kindness in all this self-reflection, too. Single ‘Nobody’s Heroes’ is all about self-acceptance and fresh starts, while the piano-led ‘Gasoline & Matches’ encourages us to give ourselves a break: “Tell the kid in you that it’s okay, you don’t have to have it all figured out beyond a shadow of a doubt, put the work down ‘til Monday.” It’s something we’ve all probably needed to hear at one time or another.
The crowning glory is album closer and title track, ‘Everything I Ever Saw’. The words – “I don’t wanna relive, I just wanna remember, everything I ever saw” – are hopeful, again. They remind us that we can choose to wallow in regret, or face each day as it comes, put our best foot forward and take the good memories with us, wherever we end up.
In sharing their vulnerabilities, The Menzingers have penned a record that will resonate with anyone who has reached the point in life where you’ve survived the bad days, revelled in the good days, and now you’re somewhere between looking back and trying to move forward.